Cairngorms Life

All those that follow my blog from south of the Scottish border will be enjoying the end of your spring flowers, the daffodils will be maybe getting past their best and warmer weather upon you. Our old neighbour up here would tell us frequently do not put any bedding plants in until well into May, all because you can never tell when we will get a cold snap. Sure enough when the forecast on April the first said snow was on it’s way after a couple of dry, above zero temperatures we all thought ” no we won’t get that”. but drew the curtains back today and sure enough to a fairly low level the hills had a dusting of snow and we had sleet. At least at the moment are daffs are starting to show some colour and the primula’s are budding up so we are showing some improvement, but this snow and cold may well knock them back a bit

5th.

Of course the Chaffinch happened to be a pair of posers and stared straight at the lens.

10th

The first of April was the start of the village Angling Club Brown Trout season but as I stated the start of the month has not been great weather, first that snow then very strong winds. So today was the first day I have managed to get out with the rod and have an hours dabble way up in the hills at Sarah’s pond.

I have shown you before up here but this was Sarah’s today and as you can also see the minute I started fishing, down came the rain (hence only the hour of fishing).

The feeder stream into the pond and as you can see it is flowing fairly fast due to all the rain and snow on the hills above.

From this shot you can see that the Trout were rising to the fly and I had tied a special fly of my own design to fish today. A dry fly (which means it would float on top of the water) which was made from some Jute that I had asked for when we went around the Verdant Works in Dundee , which is a museum of the Jute industry which was very large throughout Dundee in the past. The jute was really soft and I thought it would make an excellent floating fly which proved correct as I caught three on my first day of the season. No record breaking size but great enjoyment and all three were returned fit and healthy. Two of eight inches and a good fish of eleven. The first one is pictured below and was one of the two eight inch.

This shot in the rain shows our house the green rectangle in the middle, parked at about the same altitude as our house , then a half mile walk up the steep track in front of the shot. Good feeling at my age that I can still walk up it with not to much difficulty.

13th

Just a follow up on the introduction words the flowers have come along in leaps with just two real days of sun so far.

Daffs and Tulips just about out.

Heather buzzing with Bumble Bees and making a good show again this year.

Primrose and Primula doing well.

Fritillary

Tricular doing okay

That’s it for the first part of the month, I promise you something different for the second half.

Of course this headline finishes with “we will have snow” and sure enough that direction of wind at the moment is blowing a hoolie and we have had a few snow showers, nothing to cause disruption but enough to be annoying. But the next minute it is sunshine but still with that wind forecast to reach forty mph.

22nd.

Went down to Loch Dunmore today to clean our service boat ready for a couple of weekends coming up when we cut some weed back to enable us to fish. Thought I would share this unusual phenomenal thing that is happening on the water.

All three of the above shots show what appears to be islands in the water, the last one showing three in the foreground and to white areas further out, which are the same. These are in fact floating islands and are caused by the roots of the lilies rotting and building up gases under the mud which then totally lift the roots and mud up to the surface. They are a bit like icebergs in as much as there is a lot under the water as there is above, which makes them very heavy and difficult to break up. Though good to fish in the proximity of the islands (as fish feel safe under them) are a nuisance as the large one in front has drifted in front of the swim I normally fish.

In the middle of shot one & two you can see a streak in the water, unfortunately this is an adult Cormorant which is more a problem than the islands as it will eat it’s own weight in fish every day.

23rd.

Just to prove my point we have got the snow on the hills and still that very cold North wind, these taken this morning, after twenty years of living here still a great sight to open the curtains to each morning.

Borrowed a few shots from my neighbours garden I am sure Rod won’t mind? Despite the cold things are starting to bud up, this is Lilac.

Honeysuckle.

A few from my garden, Cherry just seeing the blossom bud up.

Flowering Currant.

A small bush flowering Rhododendron also budding up.

A Clematis already hit by an earlier cold spell but trying again.

26th.

Had to go to the estate office of Blair Castle today and this is the view from the rear of the castle that not many see.

While at the castle I travelled up towards where I fish and grabbed this shot to show in the two days since the last post we have had a bit more of the white stuff.

28th

Had to go into Perth today and it just so happened I arrived an hour early, surprise, surprise.

By some strange reason I had my camera with me so decided to pop into Rodney Gardens and look for the Kingfishers that I have photographed before, saw one twice but way to quick for me. But I did notice this Beaver activity above. If you imagine a city centre on one side of the River Tay and one hundred yards away from a busy road coming in over the river into the city, with a lot of activity in the area well that was where this tree was, so a very urban Beaver. Admittedly Beavers are all along the Tay river system now, but would you imagine one in the city centre?

When I got home, as I come in through the backdoor a Robin will spot me and come down to the nearest bush and hope for some mealworms, well today it had a companion, Robin’s normally fight other Robins to keep their territory, so I guess this pair have got together for the mating season as they tollerated each other whilst feeding.

30th.

Have not seen this female Chaffinch for a whole year, so unusual to see one with a white head, known as leucitic bird, normally occurs in black plumage birds, but can occur in any type. Not a great shot as I just caught it by a feeder, ran to my bedroom to get my camera, wrong lens, changed it, ran to the living room and got it through the double glazing before it flew off. The other Chaffinch’s do bully it a bit so it does not stay in the same spot for long.

31st.

Happy easter everyone, it has been my religious part of Easter Sunday to either go to a sunrise service with a church or go by myself UP the hill from us and see the and celebrate the sunrise. Today was no exception except for the fact that our clocks went forward before I got up, son though my clock said six o’clock my brain and body was still in time with five o’clock. To make things even harder it was minus two C and my car was covered in ice, so I had to walk Up the mile and a half to where I took the shots below.

At the gateway to our house, you can see the red in the sky as I start my journey.

A bit late but it was a long uphill walk.

The sun catching the tops of the Birch trees.

The way home the white dot right of centre is the castle way down the hill on about the same level as our house so you can see what I mean by Up the hill.

A wonderful peaceful morning surrounded by silence except for the pheasants and curlew calling, plus I saw eight Roe Deer, to quick for me to capture with the camera, but a smashing sight.

March begins as February left off , cold, Easterly wind and very dull. Not exactly the type of weather you want to go out and take photographs, much better to stay in, tie some flies for the start of the fly fishing season beside a glowing wood burner.

Went to the jute museum (Verdant Works) in Dundee to see a “Garden photographs of the year” only to find out we were a month early, but had a good time looking around the exhibits and seeing some of the one hundred year old machines in operation, took some shots but they were rubbish, so overall not a great morning, but made up for by a good lunch in our favourite cafe (The Empire State) thanks to a friend who gave us a gift voucher at Christmas. Always good to finish a visit on a good meal. But if you are in Dundee the museum is well worth a visit.

10th.

Just an encouragement to show that the good times are around the corner and cold weather may be disappearing at last, some of the flowers are starting to bud up or even be out. All taken in the rain of course.

The hit to brighten up another dull day was the two ponies in the field in front of the house decided to pay us a visit and timed it as I was feeding the birds, so they had to have some peanuts. One is very forward and obviously the boss and the other just hangs back so not to be bullied. I made sure the shy one got a good feed when the boss was not looking. I think they are Dartmoor’s ?

Yes it has flattened the fence to enable it to eat the conifer as well.

5th.

Went for a day out in Edinburgh and while the wife was having her hair done I walked around the backsides of the buildings on Rose Street, the fronts are mainly shops and though this is only on two lanes along Rose Street the actual street is as long as Princes Street which is parallel and below here.

The first and second floor on most of these properties seem to be residential.

Though this building is all office, I wonder if the lintel above the middle downstairs window was in fact a large door in it’s passed life?

Scotts pub, on the left one of Edinburgh’s oldest pubs and below is the rear of the building almost identical to the front.

The next shots are actually on the front of Rose Street and the theatre is empty and up for sale.

Old stonework, replica lamp and a modern additional flat on the top.

Dirty Dick’s pub with a painting and quote from Bill Murray. ” You can handle just about anything that comes at you on the road with a believable grin, common sense and a whisky.

A view along Rose Street from where I was all the way to Marks and Spencer’s shop at the far end.

Just to show that not everybody has a good lifestyle in Edinburgh, in a alcove to the power room of Premier Inn a rough sleepers abode.

16th.

Hopefully the last of the snow on the hills from our bedroom window this morning.

Though the wife did not appreciate me opening the window to take these shots as it was minus six C outside.

Don’t think the ponies appreciated the frost either.

But by midday the temperature in the sunshine had gone from minus to plus six, a welcome change.

With the sun out came the camera to photograph the hazel including my neighbours twisted Hazel.

This time of the seasons I am always glad for February as it is a good short month, twenty nine days is what all months should be or at least give one of January’s to February. I am fed up of talking about the weather at present as from one day to the next you just do not know what to expect. We have got to head south for five days and when we go all the way down to the most southern county in England they are forecasting snow, so will keep you informed on that one but that will be the extent of weather related discussion on this blog.

My intentions are to be bright on this unhappy start to the month as after last month we (maybe just me ) need to try and start being brighter again. So I think we are off to a good start with the great Red Squirrels that frequent our garden.

2nd.

We have had a good amount of rain and snow melt so our small river has been roaring and the waterfalls look spectacular in these conditions and will help add electricity to the grid and Lude estate when it reaches the turbo one hundred yards further on.

On a previous blog a few years ago now, I showed you this old David Brown tractor but it was more intact than it is now, down to the bare bones now and not many useable parts left.

4th.

The first shot my beautiful Red was feeding away in the wooden trough, when (second shot) he just went down to his stump and froze. It was only then that I realised there were no birds about as well. Went out clapped my hands and the male Sparrowhawk took off from the evergreen right behind the squirrel. I think the hawk would have come of worse as reds are very aggressive and go straight for the legs of hawks when attacked and a hawk is no good with broken legs.

16th.

I have not processed these shots this is the real colour in the fog. It was approaching sunset and the sky had a real glow but the fog was still along the river and the combination of the two gave this wonderful colour to the shots.

17th.

It was a week of magical sunsets and today was no exception, still a bit of snow on the hills.

24th.

In my introduction I said I wanted to try and be happy in this short month, well nothing makes me happier than setting up my portable hide in the garden and grabbing a few bird shots. In order as they are, male Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Female Siskin.

27th and 29th.

We should all be like Snowdrops. In the first shot they are defeated and lying flat due to minus eight C overnight temperatures. Two days later when it is a bit warmer up they rise as if nothing had happened. We all get our down days but if we are strong we can lift ourselves up and enjoy what life has to offer us.

28th.

Had to go into Perth today and I had a bit of time on my hands before an appointment so took my camera with me. The intentions were to go to my favourite spot on a overflow stream to the mighty River Tay and film my favourite bird, the Kingfisher. Saw a lightening flash of colour as one went passed me but that was it. So then along comes a pair of Mallard which was okay, followed by this Female Gooseander. Now from where I was standing was ten feet above the water and the water was clear so I was able to get the bird chasing minnows under the water, something I have never achieved before. So I was able to finish the blog on a happy note in a sad month family wise.

If you saw my last blog you will realise that Winter is fully upon us and we were informed that our weather was going to improve from today and over the weekend. Rain and strong winds coming over the Atlantic rather than from the north. So imagine our surprise in waking up to a further two inches of snow and overnight temperatures of minus eight. But once again it is a wonderful sunny morning , which I would prefer over rain.

19th.

Though we had plenty of Fieldfares fly through early in the winter , one has remained with us and is very nervous, so I had to take this one of it mopping up our berries through the bedroom window and it would not turn and face me.

At the moment it is two degrees under freezing and as you are aware throughout this week it has been even colder, but these contractors have been in everyday building this new fence half a mile across the glen from us. They must be going home each day frozen through to their bones but they have virtually completed their task. Well done to them. Only selfish problem for us is above that stone wall is normally where the Red Deer Stags come to feed under these conditions and we have not seen them because of the activity.

30th.

Sorry for not many sections in this end of January blog, but we have a few problems and was not really in the mood to go out and take any photos.

The last week have been the most unusual I have experienced while living in Scotland, at the end of last week the west coast of the country experienced the warmest January temperature ever recorded at nineteen C , we even were into plus eleven. This of course gives you false hope of a spell of decent weather, but no, yesterday morning we wake up to minus eight and had been down to minus ten in the night. Now this morning it was plus eight, not snow but heavy rain and wind, totally all over the place. So initially I intended to show you some shots of signs of Spring and then back with vengeance comes Winter.

In the sunlight the Beech looking golden.

Daffodils poking through the ground.

Then the frost comes and the ground colour suddenly changes

The merging Snowdrops start to think “should I come out”?

I left the car out of the garage and wish I hadn’t.

The frost is on the summerhouse windows again.

The Lambs Ear looks more like Polar Bears.

The shrubs are in bud but white.

Seed heads left for the birds are camouflaged.

So overall a miserable week or so, but that is January out of the way, the days are getting longer and hopefully Spring will be around the corner, please.

Hoping that you all enjoyed the festive season and now we are approaching getting back to normal (if we ever can), it is time to start planning the things that are important to you all in life and what you hope to achieve towards those goals.

With me the greatest concern (if this winter so far has been anything to go by) is to top up my wood store to keep us warm through next winter. It has been a cold start to the year and it is definitely not getting any warmer. Last night the temperature outside went down to minus eight C and by ten o’clock was still minus six with a wonderful sunny day.

Below are some of the shots I took first thing today before the sun (hopefully) gets round to melt it all.

10th.

When does a summerhouse become a winter wonderland? answer this morning with all the frost patterns on the windows, taken from the inside looking out.

As for the poor shrubs they have endured this for the last three days and though they look spectacular they must be hoping that better weather is around the corner.

12th.

Overnight the temperature went down to a really cold minus ten C. This then applied frost upon the frost as the previous day the temperature never went above freezing. Of course this meant I had to go out with the camera and capture a few different images than yesterdays, these two were the pick of the bunch. Especially the second one as I consider this one of the best shots I have ever taken, I just love how the frost is clinging to the spiders web and the complication of this web, not like your normal spiral effort. The backlight of the sun just gives it that little boost. Must admit I didn’t stay out long as it was still fairly cold, never mind heavy snow forecast in a couple of days and I can get out again with the camera.

17th.

Yesterday afternoon we had nearly three inches of snow in just over an hour and our view was a total white out. Then overnight the lowest temperature in the whole of the U.K. was Minus Fourteen C, just 15 miles up the road from us. I recorded on my min/max thermometer, minus Thirteen C , so we were just one degree off of being the coldest in Britain. When I went out and took todays shots it was a beautiful, still, sunny day, but the temperature was still minus ten, so I wasn’t out long.

This shot to show the depth of the snow on this fence post.

Was going to take the car up the hill to capture the Munro’s but didn’t fancy the road conditions even though the snow plough had been up.

Opposite the road junction is the entrance to a set of holiday let’s called Tom of Lude, this is their driveway up, need some good snow tyres to get up there.

Well what is the magic of Christmas? To a child it is nativity plays at school, visiting Father Christmas, the putting up of the decorations and getting loads of presents on Christmas Day. In your seventies it is pleasing your children and their children, then the serious business of getting plenty of good food in, mainly food your diet would not allow you to eat any other time of the year. But any excuse to drink and eat more than normal. Of course we still enjoy the tradition of putting up a tree and outside lights to cheer any visitors up. Plus the decorations in the house that have been handed down or kept since childhood and held together with Selotape or disused fine fishing line (well that’s how mine are kept up). Of course buying a turkey that is for eight to ten people when there is only the two of you (plenty of soups, curries and pies to be made out of this years bird). Of course the few days would be enhanced if you have the right weather, with snow and frost’s.

So this year Christmas was just perfect as we had all of them, especially wonderful was the snow as we sat down to eat our Christmas lunch.

19th.

There is a very clever in built activity within Canon cameras called High Dynamic Range (HDR). On this setting the camera takes three rapid shots, one under exposed, the next over exposed and the third as it is, then within the camera it combines all three and comes up with the near perfect picture. The camera also allows you to see either all three shots individually or just as the finished item. Sometimes the clumsy operator (me) causes movement on the tripod and below are a couple of the images of individual shots and their composed shot, which I found very interesting. I must admit a few of the shots are not through my clumsy use but because the lights were flashing and with a slower speed the camera caused the blur.

The finished shot.

Lighter.

Darker and the one I like best.

Final shot.

The best of the three, longer exposure with fast flashing lights.

My gym lights, finished shot.

The camera was not on the tripod but resting on the felt roof and the wind blew it resulting in this shot.

25th

Had some help on Christmas Day putting the turkey in the oven, unfortunately I was engaged elsewhere and my wife took this shot and it was a case of point and shoot whatever my eyes can see.

26th.

Much to our joy yesterday we did have snow and very cold and the snow came down quiet heavy so we postponed our traditional walk until today, when though the temperature never went higher than minus three C all day, it was a beautiful sunny morning.

As you can see yesterdays snow stayed on the mountain tops but not lower down, enabling the walk to be wet under foot but easy going.

The early morning sun giving a orange tinge to the snow.

On the lower hills opposite our house we often see herds of Red Deer stags and in the past I have included them in my blogs. Our walk today took us on the opposite side of the glen to those hills and on the hills we saw three collections of those deer eating on those slopes. I (of course) had the wrong lens on my camera to get a good close up of them, but on putting them on the computer enlarged them aa bit and counted roughly one hundred and fifty stags across the three groups. below are the shots as I took them, though the shot of the third group was to out of focus to put on here so you will have to take my word that it was there.

So the first shot shows the main herd and the second shows some going over the hilltop, how many had already gone over I don’t know and the third group were to the right of them.

27th

As I am finishing this blog off today we have had strong winds and rain most of the night, which has now turned to snow and warnings that the A9 will be severely affected on the national weather forecast, we are settling down to a day indoors around the log burner or stripping the turkey down to make stock and dishes for the freezer. Mainly hoping the A9 into Perth will be okay tomorrow, when the shopping begins again preparing for the New Year weekend.

Just wishing you all a great 2024 healthy, wealthy and enjoyable.

Much love to all who follow my blog.

I do not know what your thoughts are but Christmas seems to start the end of last month and early into this one, I am not panicking yet but it does make you realise you better start writing those cards that the wife leaves for you to do, admittedly they are only the ones to my friends. Hers /ours were in the post by the first of the month, written in November and all bundled up ready to send off. At our age it is a case of we tend to buy things ourselves, then hand them over for the sender to wrap, with an occasional surprise or a gift we purchased a few months ago and until we open it forgot that we had.

We like to see all the “twinkle” of Christmas hence a few shots below of our two day trip to Edinburgh.

3rd

Our village Christmas Fair took place today and was very well attended with about twenty five stalls selling lots of affordable Christmas gifts. Jewellery, knitting, lamps made on old cameras, typewriters etc., paintings , landscape photographs framed, cakes and bread , jams, all great things that were selling well.

14th/15th

In amongst the Christmas markets in Edinburgh were funfair rides and ice rinks and bars. Firstly I will show you the rides and ask a question.

This ride was on George Street and was basically canvas seats that you were strapped into and though it did not go very high was going extremely fast for about five minutes duration, flinging you by centrifugal force (or is it centripetal?)( an old Fire Service argument) ever further from the vertical.

This and the next shot are in Princess Street Gardens, when on this ride you are being jerked in so many different angles at a speed that I am sure you would not know where you were for the whole ride.

As for this one you are taken EIGHTY Metres in the air and spun round .

So my question is -: Why on earth does any one want to go on these contraptions ? But many did and by the sound of the screams, some of them were thinking the same thing.

This would be more my idea of fun, a giant snow bowl that you could go in and the polystyrene balls on the floor are blown into the air and you get your photo taken from outside.

We were here to see the glitter and the tinsel and inside John Lewis, the Christmas tree displays and tinsel etc. were putting on a show with their artificial trees. A couple more below.

Such “real” looking trees that start at just under £200 (without ornaments) and go up to just under £500. To think the one I have out on our drive was a John Lewis one that I got about eight years ago in a auction in the village hall and it cost me £2, so I am happy.

16th.

This blog is a day late in going out as I was waiting for a dry night to show off our village lights, not over pleased with the shots as it turned out a bit misty and a drizzle of rain, but it will give you a rough idea of what effort is made within the community.

The small park on which once stood a church as you come into the village.

Two of the village green showing the main Christmas tree supplied by the Atholl Estate and the Yew trees that are along the roadside permanently and are fairly old. In the second shot one of them looks like it is on fire, but it just the glow from the lights.

This will be the end of this first half of the month blog, but will try to get out before Christmas and photograph individual households efforts in our hamlet.

But I will take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and will send you a new blog at the start of 2024.

The end of this month is always a nothing period. Nothing but cold or wet weather, nothing much to do indoors or out, nothing going on in the village except table tennis of course, nothing happening here in our hamlet with no holiday makers next door, dark earlier in the late afternoon, so just a blue period when it pays to turn the lights on and stoke the fire. In fact to remove any start of “nothing blues” I just wrap up and walk, so this blog might contain a few shots of walks leading up to the (dreaded word), Christmas month.

15th.

Walked up the road nearest our house and got this view of Blair Castle in the cold and slightly misty distance a mile & a half UP from our house.

Just enjoyed how these bales were left in line in a field, there is a fair slope from left to right and there should be another bale in front of these but it had rolled down the hill over the fence, across the farm road and rested on up against the next fields fence.

The cloud lingering around the hills.

On my way back the mist was drifting into the castle grounds giving it a more ghostly appearance. I know it is a fair distance down to the castle, but can anyone see two guys in a cherry picker? I didn’t until I put it up on the computer.

16th.

When the temperature doesn’t go above three degrees C all day the best thing is to stay in the warmth and that is what I did today. A bit bored as I got the woodburner going well, out came the camera and took some shots of the flames.

23rd

I have now joined a wonderful camera club in New York as I met two lovely women on our last flight home that were members and I liked their Zoom meetings each Monday night. They have a monthly online news letter that requested members to submit a portfolio for the pages, so I thought i would show them around our village, some of the shots I have already put on here so I have just added a few more that might be of interest to you all as well.

Our village hall looks so good, truly Scottish.

The Church of Scotland Church looking Easterly.

Kilmaveonaig Church in the late afternoon sun is also in the village on the Bridge of Tilt side, was first built in 1591 and the interior was altered by the Victorians in 1858.

The small graveyard is of interest as well and is so peaceful backing onto the woods.

Inside the church is also small but well laid out and has a large wood burner stove for these Winter Sundays.

1st December.

Been taking a few bird shots being very lazy through the double glazing of the dining area windows, it has been to cold to sit outside and take them. The glazing does take the sharpness off of the shots but I still enjoy them.

The first shot of the Goldfinches is not proving that my windows are dirty, it was snowing at the time. The second shot seems the male is saying ” Is he really taking a picture of me, how dare he”.

A male Chaffinch.

Female Siskin.

Great Tit.

With all that is going on in the world it seems wrong to do a blog of enjoyment for so many as the Enchanted Forest gives people, but I feel life should bring joy from things or this world would be horrible for all of us. Never the less I pray for peace as we come towards the wonderful festive time that is Christmas.

I have not been as active on the photography side of my life as I have had a fair bit going on, but what I have produced in this first part of the month I hope you enjoy.

1st.

This was the first and best of many attempts to control the brightness of this shot of the inflated octopus that took over the boathouse at Loch Dunmore.

Slinkies hanging from the trees made a great impression.

These suspended plastic strands made people walking through them disappear into ghostly shapes within the first couple of steps in.

The view from across the loch of for what was for me was the best section, the red lava flowing down the hillside, as shown in the next set.

So atmospheric with the smoke and the bright light in the right hand bottom corner is a infrared heater so you get the impression of heat from the lava.

10th.

A great Autumn day so after lunch just walked up the hill and took some shots of the last signs of the season.

The first is just the bunch of twigs on a Birch tree, (not sure what these are called).

Second my favourite small tree in the glen, just shows to what height the deer eat it to.

lastly as usual the mighty Oak is the last to lose it’s leaves.

14th

Dead pheasant in the field in front of the house so I had to move it to a position I could see it from our house. Pouring with rain and all shots taken through the double glazing. If I tried to take them from outside none of the birds would have been there. All of the birds came within five minutes of me putting it out.

In actual fact the magpie were there before the Buzzard, but once it was there they never got a look in.

Second Buzzard arrived and knew it wouldn’t get much chance and left after one warning from the bird eating.

I could see the Magpie getting more frustrated with each mouthful of plump breast the Buzzard ate.

Something frightened all the birds off and the sheep came to have a sniff to see what all the fuss was about.